Curative intent therapy for DLBCL in the elderly

Older patients with aggressive lymphoma are extremely heterogeneous due to the high frequency of functional limitations and comorbidities and to the different biological profiles and clinical behavior of the disease. The stratification in three geriatric categories (fit-unfit-frail) based on multidimensional geriatric assessment (GA) helps physicians tailor a potentially curative treatment.While an intensive approach with the standard R-CHOP regimen is feasible in fit patients, leading to similar long-term response and survival rates compared to younger ones, in unfit patients a balance between treatment toxicity and curative intent can be obtained through the reduction of dose intensity. Frail patients, treated with best supportive care so far, could benefit from a chemo-free approach with new target drugs. These novel agents, either alone or in combination with chemo-immunotherapy, are changing the therapeutic landscape of older patients with aggressive lymphoma, both in first-line therapy and in the setting of the relapsed/refractory disease.